The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531518
FEBRUARY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 35 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL they needed to. Our offense had a five- minute drive to get a field goal for Zvada, and our defense holding them in the red zone was huge. "The physicality was there. We knew it would be that type of game, so we were ready for it." It ended with four straight Milroe in- completions in the red zone after Ala- bama drove a short field at the end of the game. Coordinator Wink Martindale's defense came up huge again, and the turnovers were the difference. "Throughout bowl camp we talked about plus-two [in turnovers], and Coach [LaMar] Morgan talked about be- ing plus-two," Moore said. "In that early time, we were plus-three, and I'm like, 'We're plus-three right now. We've got a chance to win this game. We're going to go win this game now.'" And win they did, improving to 8-5 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten with vic- tories over the No. 2 Buckeyes and No. 11 Crimson Tide to finish the year. — Chris Balas U-M'S WINTER PORTAL HAUL RANKED NO. 1 IN THE BIG TEN Sherrone Moore's staff was as active as any during the winter transfer portal period, adding 13 commitments. As of Jan. 14, that haul ranks as the eighth-best in the country and second in the Big Ten, per the On3 Industry Ranking, which weighs the caliber of players along with those that departed from Ann Arbor. The incoming group is headlined by former Alabama freshman running back Justice Haynes, who committed to the program Dec. 24 before signing in Janu- ary. Haynes was a four-star addition and the No. 29 overall player in the portal, per the On3 transfer portal rankings, and was the second-best running back available. He is expected to form the next poten- tial star tandem of running backs in Ann Arbor along with Jordan Marshall, who earned ReliaQuest Bowl MVP honors af- ter compiling 23 carries for 100 yards in the win over Haynes' former school. Haynes is one of two U-M signees from Alabama, joining defensive tackle Damon Payne. Payne played his high school football just down the road at Belleville (Mich.) High, the same school that produced 2025's No. 1 overall re- cruit in quarterback signee Bryce Un- derwood. Payne is ranked as the No. 12 defensive lineman and No. 162 overall available. Additionally, the Wolverines have added a quartet of Power Four defend- ers to the class in Clemson defensive tackle Tré Williams, Georgia linebacker Troy Bowles (the son of Tampa Bay Buc- caneers head coach Todd Bowles), and Arkansas defensive backs and brothers, T.J. and Tevis Metcalf. Michigan rounded out its depth in the secondary with cor- nerback Caleb Anderson, who played for position coach LaMar Morgan when he was the defensive coordinator at Louisi- ana in 2022-23. Michigan also found its quarter- back this transfer portal cycle in former Fresno State signal-caller Mikey Keene, who has thrown for 8,245 yards and 65 touchdowns in his career and previ- ously played for new offensive coordi- nator/quarterbacks coach Chip Lindsey at Central Florida in 2022. He has one season of eligibility remaining and is U-M'S OFFSEASON MOVEMENT NFL Draft Underclassmen TE Colston Loveland DT Mason Graham DT Kenneth Grant CB Will Johnson Transfers In QB Mikey Keene, Fresno State RB Justice Haynes, Alabama WR Donaven McCulley, Indiana WR Anthony Simpson, UMass OL Brady Norton, Cal Poly OL Lawrence Hattar, Ferris State DT Tré Williams, Clemson DT Damon Payne, Alabama LB Troy Bowles, Georgia S TJ Metcalf, Arkansas CB Tevis Metcalf, Arkansas CB Caleb Anderson, Louisiana LS Trent Middleton, UCLA Transfers Out QB Alex Orji ➞ UNLV QB Jayden Denegal ➞ San Diego State RB Cole Cabana ➞ Western Michigan RB Tavierre Dunlap ➞ Eastern Michigan WR Tyler Morris ➞ Indiana OL Andrew Gentry ➞ BYU OL Dominick Giudice ➞ Missouri OL Tristan Bounds ➞ Arizona OL Raheem Anderson ➞ Western Michigan DL Owen Wafle ➞ Penn State EDGE Breeon Ishmail ➞ Purdue LB Micah Pollard ➞ Liberty DB Myles Pollard ➞ Memphis K Adam Samaha ➞ North Carolina P Tommy Doman ➞ Florida Running back Justice Haynes, who played his freshman season at Alabama, headlines Michigan's list of transfer portal additions this offseason. PHOTO COURTESY ALABAMA ATHLETICS